Joint disaster relief: The Chinese Civilian Rescue Teams' response to the 2021 Henan Flood

Abstract

Abstract In China, the involvement of civilian rescue teams (CRTs) in emergency-response has continued to grow and has progressively developed as an effective complement to the government’s emergency management system. However, their emergency-response mechanisms, functions, and networks have not been extensively studied. Based on an empirical case study of the 2021 Henan flood, this study employed a mixed methods research model, combining in-depth interviews with social network analysis (SNA) to investigate the mechanism and functions of CRTs and analyse the joint relief networks involving these teams. The CRT emergency-response mechanism comprised five phases: assessment, preparation, mobilisation, operation, and review. The main emergency support functions of CRTs were searching for and rescuing people and transferring and distributing rescue supplies. In the CRT joint relief network, government agencies retain their dominant emergency management positions, with the frontline coordination centre playing a key role in integrating relief information and acting as a bridge between CRTs, local governments, and disaster areas. These research results can motivate CRTs to improve their capabilities, thereby increasing the efficiency and quality of their joint disaster responses. Furthermore, these findings can assist governments in formulating more effective emergency-response management policies and promote cooperation between CRTs and government entities.